Little Ferry NJ.., 24 April 2011 -- At its Annual Meeting this afternoon at its New Jersey headquarters, the nonprofit SETI League, leaders in a global search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, recognized two individuals for major contributions to the art and science of SETI. Honored this year for their efforts and accomplishments were Christian Monstein of Switzerland, and Dr. Malcolm Raff (in memoriam) of the United States.

The SETI League recognized Christian Monstein, its volunteer Regional Coordinator for Switzerland, with its annual Giordano Bruno Memorial Award, for technical excellence in the service of SETI. A radio amateur (HB9SCT) and electronics engineer at the Institute for Astronomy of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), Mr. Monstein is responsible for the design, construction, and deployment of a global network of spectrometers for solar research. Currently, his CALLISTO (Compound Astronomical Low-cost Low-frequency Instrument for Spectroscopy in Transportable Observatory) spectrometers are deployed at 19 sites around the globe, all linked via the Internet. Featured in Nature magazine online in February, these instruments afford radio astronomers the most extensive network ever developed to monitor solar flares.

The late Dr. Malcolm Raff was selected to receive The SETI League's annual Orville Greene Service Award, in memory of his exemplary volunteer service to the nonprofit organization. An astrophysicist turned genomics researcher, Mal was a SETI League charter member who chaired our Strategic Planning Committee, served on our scientific advisory board, and was a close friend and mentor to The SETI League's executive director emeritus over a three-decade period.

Formal award presentations will occur in the near future. SETI League executive director emeritus Prof. H. Paul Shuch plans to present Dr. Raff's widow, Connie Woods, with the Orville Greene plaque on an upcoming visit to Berkeley, Californa. He will similarly honor Monstein with his Bruno plaque, at a planned 2012 European Radio Astronomy Congress in Italy.

Largely using radio telescopes and optical telescopes, SETI scientists seek to determine whether humankind is alone in the universe. Since Congress terminated NASA's SETI funding in 1993, The SETI League and other scientific groups have privatized the research. Amateur and professional scientists interested in participating in the search for intelligent alien life, and citizens wishing to help support it, should email join_at_setileague_dot_org, check the SETI League Web site at http://www.setileague.org/, send a fax to +1 (201) 641-1771, or contact The SETI League, Inc. membership hotline at +1 (800) TAU-SETI. Be sure to provide us with a postal address to which we will mail further information. The SETI League, Inc. is a membership-supported, non-profit [501(c)(3)], educational and scientific corporation dedicated to the scientific Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence.